Davis residents may face 2 tax hikes in '07

Davis County residents may have more than one tax increase added for their properties in 2007.

The Davis Mosquito Abatement District, which is in charge of spraying for mosquitos to limit the spread of diseases such as West Nile Virus, is budgeting for a tax increase of $2.50 a year on the average home valued at $171,000. The district currently levies a tax of $12.50 a year on the average home.

Gary Hatch, the district manager, said the district's board of directors is aware that Davis County's Board of Commissioners is also looking at a tax increase of $60 on the average home to fix deteriorating flood channels, costs associated with running the expanded Davis County Jail and more services for the county's senior citizens. The county's proposed tax increase is expected to bring in $6.8 million annually starting in 2007.

Hatch said the board is concerned that residents may not like hearing about two tax increases.

"The residents of Davis County are seeing a substantial increase in the county," Hatch said. "We understand the tax burden."

If the abatement district board approves its proposed tax increase, the change would bring in $195,000 to augment the district's current annual budget of just over $1 million. That would allow the district to increase spraying without bonding and going into debt, Hatch said, because debt means paying interest.

In 2002, the district raised taxes to anticipate doubling its efforts in spraying for West Nile Virus-carrying mosquitos. But this year, Hatch said, the district sprayed triple the area -- a total of more than 497,000 acres during mosquito season.

Hatch's crews ran four spray trucks six nights a week between May and November to spray 400,000 acres and sprayed more than 97,000 acres by air, the most ever sprayed by plane, he said.

Besides increasing fuel costs during 2006, Hatch said, the pesticides, many of which are oil-based, rose in price. The tax increase will allow the district to hire more people and offset the high petroleum prices.

"We're trying to stay ahead of the curve so we don't run into a financial shortfall," Hatch said.

A public hearing on the district's budget will be held Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. at the district headquarters, located at 85 N. 600 West in Kaysville.

The county's public budget hearing will be held Dec. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Davis County Fairpark.

E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com

Copyright C 2006 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.